Blood Connection to open Hendersonville donation center

Published: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 6:50 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 6:50 a.m.

The Blood Connection will open a new donation center in Hendersonville this week, according to a news release from the Greenville, S.C.-based blood bank.

The center will be in the Brooklyn Village Shopping Center at 825 Spartanburg Highway. According to the release, the new center will offer convenience for local donors and help The Blood Connection expand its capability to collect and distribute blood products in Polk, Henderson and Rutherford counties.

According to Donation Center Manager Carl Sly, all blood donations are vitally needed for patients.

“Patients receiving organ transplants, cancer therapies and support for sickle cell anemia all depend on lifesaving transfusions,” Sly stated in the release. “Blood is also critical to the survival of premature babies and patients undergoing heart or joint replacement surgery, and it plays a life-saving role in serious accidents and widespread tragedies like earthquakes and hurricanes.”

The Hendersonville Donation Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the center will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-392-6551.

The new donation center is designed with comfortable furnishings that combine color, light and art with access to nature to offer donors a pleasant and peaceful donation experience. All donor couches feature flat panel screens to encourage relaxation and welcome movie watching.

“Brooklyn Village is a convenient location for the community, and we hope donors will find it an easy place to frequent on the path to work and play,” Sly said. “It’s a walkable area with restaurant options and an Urgent Care medical center.

Sly said platelet donations are especially needed at this time. Platelet donors give two hours of their time to help patients in need, and the donation process is often referred to as apheresis. While a small portion of the donor’s blood is drawn and passed through a sophisticated cell-separating machine, the machine collects the platelets and safely returns the remaining blood components to the donor.

According to The Blood Connection President and CEO Greg Hart, individuals can also support the local blood supply by hosting a blood drive.

For more information, contact The Blood Connection or visit thebloodconnection.org.

Founded in 1979, The Blood Connection is the largest independently managed, nonprofit community blood center in the region. It recruits donors and collects blood within a 7,134 square mile area, including Northwestern South Carolina, Western North Carolina and Northeastern Georgia. Licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The Blood Connection collects blood from donors through bloodmobiles, portable field units, and fixed donation sites.

<p>The Blood Connection will open a new donation center in Hendersonville this week, according to a news release from the Greenville, S.C.-based blood bank.</p><p>The center will be in the Brooklyn Village Shopping Center at 825 Spartanburg Highway. According to the release, the new center will offer convenience for local donors and help The Blood Connection expand its capability to collect and distribute blood products in Polk, Henderson and Rutherford counties.</p><p>The Blood Connection supplies blood products to Pardee Hospital and Park Ridge Health.</p><p>According to Donation Center Manager Carl Sly, all blood donations are vitally needed for patients. </p><p>“Patients receiving organ transplants, cancer therapies and support for sickle cell anemia all depend on lifesaving transfusions,” Sly stated in the release. “Blood is also critical to the survival of premature babies and patients undergoing heart or joint replacement surgery, and it plays a life-saving role in serious accidents and widespread tragedies like earthquakes and hurricanes.”</p><p>The Hendersonville Donation Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the center will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-392-6551.</p><p>The new donation center is designed with comfortable furnishings that combine color, light and art with access to nature to offer donors a pleasant and peaceful donation experience. All donor couches feature flat panel screens to encourage relaxation and welcome movie watching.</p><p>“Brooklyn Village is a convenient location for the community, and we hope donors will find it an easy place to frequent on the path to work and play,” Sly said. “It's a walkable area with restaurant options and an Urgent Care medical center.</p><p>Sly said platelet donations are especially needed at this time. Platelet donors give two hours of their time to help patients in need, and the donation process is often referred to as apheresis. While a small portion of the donor's blood is drawn and passed through a sophisticated cell-separating machine, the machine collects the platelets and safely returns the remaining blood components to the donor.</p><p>According to The Blood Connection President and CEO Greg Hart, individuals can also support the local blood supply by hosting a blood drive.</p><p>For more information, contact The Blood Connection or visit thebloodconnection.org.</p><p>Founded in 1979, The Blood Connection is the largest independently managed, nonprofit community blood center in the region. It recruits donors and collects blood within a 7,134 square mile area, including Northwestern South Carolina, Western North Carolina and Northeastern Georgia. Licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The Blood Connection collects blood from donors through bloodmobiles, portable field units, and fixed donation sites.</p>